French cows allowed to drink on the job, yield intoxicating beef

How can you make sure a cow yields premium, high-quality beef? According to a French winemaking and cattle farming duo, it's by serving them wine. In 2011, winemaker Jean-Charles Tastavy decided to conduct an experiment to prove if studies that say happy animals produce better meat are true. He partnered with farmer Claude Chaballier and began their test on three cows.

They began by serving cows water mixed with dregs of pressed grapes. But in time, the duo started serving them real, locally produced wine that suited the cows' palates so much, Tastavy claims they "ate with enjoyment." The result? A Michelin-starred chef said the cows' meat exhibited a "very special texture, beautiful, marbled and tender, which caramelizes while cooking."

The project ended up being so successful that Tastavy and Chaballier decided to expand beyond their initial three-cow, four-month plan. Since serving one cow up to two bottles of wine per day propelled daily feeding costs from $6 per animal to $18, the duo's new Vinbovin — a portmanteau of the French words for wine and cow — beef brand will cost you a whopping $122 per 2.2 pounds.

[Image credit: Picnic with wine via Shutterstock]
[via Time]

This article was written by Mariella Moon and originally appeared on Tecca

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